The board has given its chair the power to reject speakers outright and to vet presentations in advance. It's a sharp, and needless, departure from the past.

The Ottawa Police Service Board’s new rules for public meetings are a clear violation of citizens’ right to free speech, and concerned community groups are right to seek redress in court. Ottawa residents have a good opportunity to stand behind these groups and repel the board’s assault on free expression.

It all began in February when the new board amended a procedure bylaw to impose not only a one-hour limit on public presentations, but also require speakers to submit their remarks in writing ahead of any meeting. In a striking departure from past practice, the bylaw says people can only speak at meetings with the board’s permission and, worse, all requests to speak “will require approval by the Chair” who now is Royal Ottawa Hospital psychiatrist Dr. Gail Beck.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Don't have an account? Create Account

Think about this: In a free society, the police board, which deals with issues that affect all citizens, has given its chair the power to veto what people have to say, and even decide if they can speak at all. In effect, if the chair doesn’t like what someone or a group thinks, she can shut them down. Potentially, a group the board disagrees with, or any critic, can be muzzled and denied the right to speak — and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

There is no mechanism to challenge this. The chair merely informs the board of her decision to bar someone from speaking, and that’s it. If this is not an attack on free speech, nothing will ever be.

Civic discourse and politics are anchored by the right of citizens to appear before councils, committees and other statutory bodies to speak freely on issues, including views that are contrary to what local authorities believe, or want to hear. This is the fundamental right that the police board is trampling on, and community groups are right to be outraged. It is why some are going to court in the hope that the justice system will reverse this egregious violation of citizens’ right to speak freely.

In its response to the lawsuit, the police board said it acted in “good faith” in enacting the new rules. No, it did not. For years, citizens have appeared before different iterations of the board without such limits. They have done so in the exact same manner as citizens who appear before city committees: without prior approval, and not having to submit the contents of their presentations for vetting. And it raises the question of why this particular board sees fit to make these undemocratic changes.

The board says it acted so members can be fully informed during meetings. Nonsense. The new restrictions were put in place after months of friction between the board and critics, and there is little doubt this is an attempt by the board to censor free speech, silence its critics and ultimately avoid accountability. The board is already holding its meetings virtually only; there is no in-person availability. (Indeed, it didn’t even present its budget this week in person.)

The really sad thing about this is that Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and two other city councillors who sit on the police board — Cathy Curry and Marty Carr — lent their support to this policy. They should have known better because it is unimaginable that they would give themselves the power to vet presentations at city meetings. If they wouldn’t do it at city hall, why do they support the change at the police board? And why the police board would arrogate such power to itself and think it is right, is incomprehensible. Yes, the police board is a provincial body, but that doesn’t insulate it from adhering to the fundamental principles of free speech and debate.

The Ottawa police board is charting a dangerous course with its new rules on meetings, and one can only hope that the courts will see the changes for what they are: an attempt to limit citizens’ free expression, curtail debate and insulate the board from criticism.

Mohammed Adam is an Ottawa journalist and commentator. Reach him at nylamiles48@gmail.com

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

To contribute to the conversation, you need to be logged in. If you are not yet registered, create your account now - it's FREE.

QOSHE - Adam: How the Ottawa Police Services Board is shutting down free speech - Mohammed Adam
menu_open
Columnists Actual . Favourites . Archive
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close
Aa Aa Aa
- A +

Adam: How the Ottawa Police Services Board is shutting down free speech

3 0
09.11.2023

The board has given its chair the power to reject speakers outright and to vet presentations in advance. It's a sharp, and needless, departure from the past.

The Ottawa Police Service Board’s new rules for public meetings are a clear violation of citizens’ right to free speech, and concerned community groups are right to seek redress in court. Ottawa residents have a good opportunity to stand behind these groups and repel the board’s assault on free expression.

It all began in February when the new board amended a procedure bylaw to impose not only a one-hour limit on public presentations, but also require speakers to submit their remarks in writing ahead of any meeting. In a striking departure from past practice, the bylaw says people can only speak at meetings with the board’s permission and, worse, all requests to speak “will require approval by the Chair” who now is Royal Ottawa Hospital psychiatrist Dr. Gail Beck.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Don't have an account? Create Account

Think about this: In a free society, the police........

© Ottawa Citizen


Get it on Google Play